Emergent Materials & Water-Energy Nexus

Workshop & Practical Training Course

In the field of Water-Energy Nexus WEN studies the new term 'emergent materials' (EM) has become of high relevance, because of the strong link between novel materials and energy applications. Here, properties of novel 'emergent' materials and their potentials for future applications in electronic devices are investigated. In addition, the field deals with interlinks of different sectors including industries, technology development and policies. It is believed that EM analysis can provide a better understanding of potential options for a sustainable development: it can assist policy makers and resource managers to lead the development of low cost, sustainable, environmental and efficient solutions for daily life technologies.

The aim of this AGYA project was to organize a workshop with international experts and a practical training course for Arab and German students to build a sustainable interdisciplinary network and to discuss different aspects and developments of WEN and EM. More than 100 scholars and stakeholders from more than 17 countries exchanged their views in the research areas of nano- and hybrid materials, advanced sustainable technologies, as well as latest research results in membrane technology and application areas for graphene.

The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) in Egypt. Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Sakr, President of ASRT and member of the AGYA Advisory Board, proposed a so-called Knowledge Technology Alliance (KTA) between industry and academia to tackle global challenges in the fields of desalination and renewable energies taking this conference as an example. In addition to the lectures of the workshop, the participating students presented their own research results in a poster competition and discussed them with the present experts.